Dutch-launched migrant small boat in the English Channel, Digi Mart USA News (Cadzand, Netherlands): A boat stopped in the Channel with 38 migrants on board was found floating with no engine near Cadzand on Saturday. Prosecutors have confirmed the vessel had entered the water from Dutch territory, according to the BBC.
Dover MP Mike Tapp said smugglers will keep adapting after the discovery. “As launch disruptions grow, the criminal gangs will adapt and a part of that will be finding new launch locations and methods,” Tapp said.
“That means our operational efforts must also be agile.”
Crossing attempts this year have already been made along a wider stretch of coast, from Belgium to Normandy. The UK government said overall crossings were down significantly this year.
Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Bart van den Brink, who is also minister of asylum and migration, said it was “highly disturbing” to see this happening in Dutch waters. Speaking to RTL, he said the problem had long been centered around Calais before moving north toward Belgium, and that “now for the first time in the Netherlands we see this occurring.” He said the relevant Dutch authorities would be brought together to “see what we can learn from this.”
Bastiaan van Blokland of the Netherlands Red Cross described the crossing as “unusual” and said it “didn’t look safe at all.” He added, “The situation definitely was dire, 38 people on a boat with legs dangling out of the boat, in the cold weather, without an engine.” He said the Red Cross was surprised by the situation and would remain alert for the future.
Two men are still being questioned on suspicion of people smuggling, police said. Dutch police described the small boat rescue as rare, although there have been a small number of cases in recent years in which smugglers were caught trying to use yachts to move migrants to the UK from the Dutch coast.
Small boat smuggling attempts have increased since 2018, with beaches around Calais and Dunkirk in Northern France traditionally serving as the main launch points. Earlier this year, the BBC reported a sudden rise in small boats setting off further up the coast from Belgium, which Belgian federal police suggested was due to French enforcement activity.
Between 1 January and 31 October 2026, a total of 22,128 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France, down 40% on the same period the previous year. Small boat crossings have been the most common way people are detected entering the UK illegally since 2020.
Nearly all arrivals by small boat claim asylum, and under international law they may remain in the country while their applications are considered. Small boat arrivals made up 40% of asylum applications from July 2025 to June 2026.
Boats arriving in the UK from 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026 carried an average of 68 people, more than double the figure in 2021. Experts say overcrowding makes crossings riskier, and at least 84 people died attempting to cross the Channel in 2024, according to the United Nations.
Small boat arrivals account for about 5% of total immigration into the UK from January to December 2025.
The government has pledged to “smash the gangs” behind the crossings. People from Eritrea accounted for 18% of all arrivals from July 2025 to June 2026.
In the latest figures covering January to December 2025, at least 2,335 people who arrived by small boat were found to be potential victims of human trafficking or other forms of modern slavery, according to the Home Office.
Another 4,712 people were detected entering the UK without permission by other methods, including hiding in vehicles, travelling on ferries or passing through airports, from July 2025 to June 2026, down 17% on the previous year. The total number of people who live in the UK illegally after arriving legally is not known.
The UK government said this year had seen the lowest number of summer arrivals since 2020. Crossings resumed last week after three weeks of stormy weather.
Former Border Force director general Tony Smith said it was “clear that the human smugglers operating in Europe continue to try new routes,” citing recent launches from Normandy, Belgium and now the Netherlands. “It is important that the Border Security Command adapt its operations to cope with this ever expanding challenge,” he said.
The government said in October that the home secretary had signed a deal with the Belgian interior minister enabling police in both countries to exchange intelligence more quickly. Nearly 1,050 French officers are now supporting UK-France efforts to stop crossings, with an additional surge team bolstering operations on Western beaches, according to officials.
A Home Office spokesperson said joint efforts with international partners have prevented over 50,000 crossing attempts and seized 1,100 boats and engines since the election, adding, “But we must go further.”
